Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Much as Aristotle reasoned that both the chicken and the egg must have always existed, we come to a similar conclusion when debating which came first, poverty or tuberculosis (TB)? Both must have always existed. Poor people around the world are much more susceptible to TB and TB is also a leading cause of poverty around the world.

As executive director of UNAIDS from 1994 to 2008, I was privileged to have a front row seat at one of the great global health struggles of modern times. Although our work against AIDS is far from finished, we have stabilized the pandemic and started to imagine a world without AIDS.

Unfortunately, the same is not true of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, which cause nearly two out of three deaths in the world (80 percent of those in developing countries).

We live on a planet where 925 million people are hungry, and 1.4 billion are overweight.

Both of these horrifying situations have to do with food insecurity. For many years, most people thought of food insecurity as being about hunger caused by an insufficient quantity of food, but this is no longer always the case.

Increasingly, programs must include those who are getting excess energy and insufficient vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber from the wrong kinds of food or an imbalanced diet.

As world leaders make their way to New York this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly, we call on them to renew their commitments to combating noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Tackling NCDs with a woman-centered focus is a critical step towards reaching all development goals.

Cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases and diabetes – four of the biggest killers among the group together known as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – have emerged as one of the greatest social and economic development challenges of this century. From a global health perspective, NCDs now account for more deaths every year than AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and all other causes combined – they result in roughly two out of three deaths worldwide.

Can the sound of a child's heartbeat inspire the world to save children's lives? Can it inspire you? Children's heartbeats recorded in Malawi and Guatemala inspired the band OneRepublic to write a song with a beat like no other. If "Feel Again" grabs you enough to download it, you can help save children's lives.

"It is rewarding work indeed, though I’m not always sure that everyone understands what we do. But every once in a while, I come across something that makes me pause and truly appreciate that others really do understand what the global health community is trying to achieve."

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InterAction works to be a leader in the global quest to eliminate extreme poverty and vulnerability, strengthen human rights and citizen participation, safeguard a sustainable planet, promote peace, and ensure dignity for all people.